Gabe Vincent returned from a back injury on Wednesday as the Los Angeles Lakers fell 107-91 to the San Antonio Spurs, and he reflected on both his recovery and the team’s resilience.
“Yeah, definitely. It felt good to get out there and get some run… Body feels good so far, so I’ll take it,” Vincent said on his first action since missing nine games.
He expressed confidence in staying healthy moving forward: “I’m confident I’ll be back. Obviously we’ll see how the body feels after the flight, but I think it’ll do well.”
Vincent praised the Lakers’ effort despite missing LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura: “Absolutely. Guys were battling… We’re battling, doing a lot of things the right way. We’re just trying to encourage one another, uplift one another, and keep going.”
On competing in a back-to-back game, he added: “A lot of these guys have been playing hard minutes for a number of games… They stepped up in opportunities. Tough one tonight against a tough team, but proud of the effort we put forward.”
Discussing the team’s process-oriented approach, Vincent noted: “We’ve been playing good basketball. It’s encouraging for me to come out here and just try to add to it.”
He also highlighted the performances of his teammates: “Jax [Jaxson Hayes] comes off the bench playing with that energy, gets behind defenses, runs in transition… He’s done a great job contesting shots, keeping plays alive. Jake the last month has been a great defender, doing all the little things and knocking down shots. It’s been great to celebrate their success and watch them out there.”
Vincent described the back injury as a new challenge: “I’ve never really dealt with anything with the back before… Thankfully it didn’t keep me out too long. Felt like forever, but it was about three weeks. Grateful to be back.”
Despite the loss, Vincent emphasized the team’s effort in a short-handed matchup: “We knew this was going to be a difficult game down three starters. The guys battled hard… Credit to them, but we’re proud of the effort and how we approached the game.”
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 38 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, marking his 86th career regular-season triple-double, while Jake LaRavia added 16 points and Jaxson Hayes contributed 10. San Antonio’s Keldon Johnson scored 27 points and Victor Wembanyama posted 16 points and 14 rebounds to help the Spurs move into second place in the Western Conference.
The Lakers will host Milwaukee on Friday, while San Antonio travels to Boston on Saturday.
